1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the treatment of concentrated radioactive solutions which contain organic compounds as sequestering agents or complex formers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Such liquid wastes contain radioactive substances and complex formers as for example, citric, oxalic, formic acid or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and must never be discharged. These wastes must rather be counted among the radioactive wastes and must be disposed of safely as such, possibly after being concentrated, through appropriate storage, for instance, in salt mines. For this purpose it is necessary to solidify them first. One possibility of this kind is to process them with cement and additives into concrete blocks.
Radioactive solutions with organic complex formers, however, are difficult to bind in concrete and in addition, the radionuclide complexes present therein are soluble and can therefore be leached out readily. Heretofore, such liquid wastes with organic complex formers always had to be evaporated, since precipitation reactions for removing the radioactive substances are prevented or at least interfered with by these complex compounds.
Since such a method, however, is very complicated and requires considerable energy, the problem arose to find a substantially simpler method for compacting the radioactive substances contained in these liquid wastes.